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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Top Stories
Thursday, February 1, 2001
Carrillo listening to residents' problems
By LEIA HOLLAND
Staff Writer
PECOS, February 1, 2001 - Community members will have the chance to
voice some opinions, problems and complaints to a member of U.S. Congressman
Henry Bonilla's office today and Friday.
Tony Carrillo, constituent liaison, has set up office at the Reeves
County Courthouse from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., both days to meet with local residents
who are having any troubles or have complaints about any of the governmental
agencies.
"I'm just here to do case work for Congressman Bonilla's office," he
said. "To bring the office out into the district."
Carrillo, who has worked for Bonilla's office in Midland for four years,
visits Pecos, Fort Stockton and Alpine at least four times a year to meet
with community members.
Carrillo said the visits benefit the community and his office because
some people are not very comfortable in calling the 800 number for help.
"Some people are more at east to meet face to face with someone," he
said.
Carrillo said some of the more common issues that people in this area
want to discuss are social security, immigration, veteran's affairs, Internal
Revenue Service, military and agriculture.
"Usually these are most common for me," he said.
Although every person who comes in has a different situation to deal
with, Carrillo said that they mostly have to do with gaining benefits through
the agencies.
"Some situations are that they are trying to get some sort of benefits
they are entitled to," he said.
After hearing the situations, Carrillo then contacts the agency involved
to try to get some answers to the questions the people have.
"We try to get the agencies to tell us if there is any other way to
qualify," he said.
Carrillo said that anyone is free to go up to the third floor of the
courthouse to visit with him about any situations they might have.
"They could just walk in," he said, while adding that he would be able
to talk to some people on the phone as well.
Bonilla is currently in Washington, D.C., as the 107th Congress
begins dealing with various issues, including the tax cuts and school reform
programs proposed by President Bush.
Carrillo said that it is uncertain when Bonilla would be back in Texas.
"It just depends when the speaker might call a recess," he said.
One of the issues up for discussion in the Texas Legislature that could
affect Bonilla is redistricting.
Carrillo said the redistricting would be based on the population changes
of the current districts.
"It just depends on what the population growths are through out the
district," he said.
Bonilla's 23rd District is the largest in Texas, running
from the San Antonio area to the eastern sections of El Paso. Carrillo
said that quite a few of the major cities in this district have had a population
growth including; San Antonio, El Paso, Lubbock and Midland.
The decision of redistricting is up in the hands of the Texas Legislature,
according to Carrillo.
"Everybody is at the mercy of the legislature," he said.
Community members will be able to visit Carrillo in the third floor
courtroom of the courthouse until 4 p.m., tomorrow, but if anyone is unable
to make the trip they would be able to contact him through an 800 number
or email.
The number is (800) 361-4TEX or email him at Tony.Carrillo@mail.house.gov.
Sierra Blanca bust tops busy week for agents
From Staff and Wire Reports
PECOS, February 1, 2001 - Border officials found thousands of pounds
of marijuana and cocaine squirreled away in underbrush, hidden in a truck-tractor
rig, an abandoned truck and tucked beneath the floorboards of pickups in
a string of drug busts this week.
The seven seizures netted almost 150 pounds of cocaine and more than
14,000 pounds of marijuana. Sold on the street, the drugs would bring $4.8
million and $11 million respectively.
"For some reason, there's a big spike that's been occurring," U.S. Customs
supervisory inspector Armando Goncalvez said.
The largest single seizure came on Wednesday when Border Patrol agents
seized 3,699 pounds of marijuana after it was discovered inside a truck-tractor
at the Sierra Blanca checkpoint on Interstate 10 in Hudspeth County. The
value of the marijuana was estimated at $2.9 million dollars
According to the Border Patrol office in Marfa, a U.S. citizen who was
driving the tractor-trailer was immediately placed under arrest. The Drug
Enforcement Administration (DEA) accepted custody of the driver, the marijuana
and the tractor-trailer. The name of the driver was not immediately released
by officials.
This marijuana seizure totaled 1.85 tons and was the largest so far
in 2001 in the Marfa Sector, surpassing a 1 1/2-ton marijuana seizure last
week at the U.S. 67 Border Patrol checkpoint south of Marfa.
On Monday, Customs inspectors in the Lower Rio Grande Valley found 45
pounds of cocaine hidden beneath the rear seat of a pickup truck on the
Hidalgo International Bridge. The next day, officials discovered 102 pounds
of cocaine under the bed of another pickup truck.
Drivers Francisco Cruz, 25, and Mario Humberto Cazares-Ramirez, 47,
were being held without bond in the Starr County Jail.
Early Wednesday, Border Patrol agents in Frenton stumbled upon more
than 500 pounds of marijuana abandoned in dense brush. A few hours later,
agents in Chapeno found another 500 pounds hidden in a truck parked at
the side of the road.
Earlier this week, Customs inspectors seized thousands of pounds of
marijuana in Nogales, Ariz., El Paso and Laredo.
Guadalupanas enchilada sale set for Friday
PECOS, February 1, 2001 - The Guadalupanas are sponsoring an enchilada
plate sale from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., on Friday at Santa Rosa Hall.
The plates consist of three red or green enchiladas prepared with homemade
tortillas and served with rice, beans and salad.
The cost for each plate is $3.50.
Deliveries are available for four plates or more.
For orders call 445-2302.
Weather
PECOS, February 1, 2001 - High Wedneday 50. Low this morning 28. Forecast
for tonight: Mostly clear. Low in the lower 20s. Northeast wind 10 to 15
mph: Diminishing late. Friday: Mostly sunny. High in the lower 50s. Light
and variable wind in the morning: Becoming southwest 5 to 10 mph by afternoon.
Friday night: Mostly clear. Low in the mid 20s. Saturday: Partly cloudy.
Lows in the mid 20s to the lower 30s. Highs in the 60s.
Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net
Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.
Copyright 2000 by Pecos Enterprise
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